For several years I owned and operated an Independent Jobber Auto Parts Store in a small town in Southern California. Well, that’s not entirely true. There really aren’t any “small” towns in Southern California. So, somewhere in that great megopolis that stretches from Mexico to Santa Barbara, in a 25 square mile area of city that had a different name than the other 25 square mile areas of city surrounding it, I sold auto parts – or, if you ask my accountant – I gave away auto parts!

Anyway, we specialized in helping our neighbors and customers with as much information as possible, and soon became known around town as the place to go to have your car diagnosed and the solution explained at great length.

That Magic Red Button

Something I noticed early on is that most people seemed disappointed after we had explained the problem and its solution. At first I didn’t understand this phenomenon – I mean, we had just told them how to fix their car themselves and save a lot of money. You’d think they’d be a lot happier.

Then it hit me – they didn’t want a long explanation that involved a lot of work – they wanted to know where the magic red button was.

That’s the button located under the hood, that when pressed, returns your car to its new and original condition with a 20 percent increase in horsepower and gas mileage – and maybe even throws in a wax job as well!

As soon as I find that red button, I’ll let you know.

Meanwhile, watch here for helpful hints for car upkeep that will prevent extra work later and repair methods that leave out as much unnecessary effort and cost as possible. Beyond Home Improvement Online may not be an actual magic red button, but we’ll do the best we can to help you come close to yours.

Mechanics???

We also sold parts to commercial accounts such as garages, dealers, service stations (now that’s a novel idea – Service stations), and etc, and believe me, I saw some things there that would curl your bumper guards. On more than one occasion, I have literally had to send my son on his bicycle, to turn a gasket over for a “mechanic?” who swore I had sent him the wrong one.

I once offered to send one “mechanic?” a tape measure so he could determine the length of the fan belt he needed. (He didn’t know where to look for the information I needed to find it in the catalog.) He had to refuse because he didn’t know how to read a tape measure. Scary huh?

In spite of that, and even though I’ve pulled a few wrenches over the years myself, there are still several jobs on a car I won’t tackle without the backup of a completely outfitted shop, especially on these newer, computerized luxury hotels on wheels

I’ve said all that to say this: I think it may be about time we learned how to recognize the real mechanics. They are out there you know – really, they are!

I may know a few secrets for doing just that. You may even have a secret or two to share with us in this area. Please do. Of course, if you have questions, we want those too.

Some LONG Miles!

Here are ten quick tips for keeping our car on the road and trouble free.

1. Meet or exceed manufacturer’s guidelines for oil and filter changes. Change all the filters regularly.
2. You can use an additive which increases the “slipperiness” of oil, but make sure it’s a legitimate additive and won’t clog the smaller oil passages.
3. Perform complete tune-ups at recommended intervals.
4. Keep your car clean and rust free.
5. Use quality “cleaning” gasolines of adequate or better octane.
6. Have your alignment checked regularly. Keep both axles aligned.
7. Do not race your engine unloaded. It only shortens the life of the engine and really annoys your neighbors.
8. Avoid unnecessary roughness i.e. slamming doors, trunk lids, hoods, etc, harder than necessary to close them. Even the glove box latch will last longer if you go easy on it.
9. Constantly drive at or below the speed limit. It saves gas, lives, and wear and tear (and expensive tickets).
10. In very cold weather, give your engine time to warm and circulate its oil before hitting highway speeds.

BHI

• Running a Tight Ship Once a year I take a Phillips screw driver and...
• Beyond Home Improvement is better living by improving ALL that is HOME! We humans seem to be incurable optimists. We believe we...

• Review: 10,001 Ways To Live Large On A Small Budget  Only 10,001?  I really expected more.  10,001 is a number...
• Something About List Building And Other Information Mostly when you first realize that 95-99% of the visitors...